Investigating the challenges affecting rural volunteering in Australia
ARC Linkage project Developing a National Rural Volunteering Roadmap (2025-2035) investigates the challenges structural, geographic, organisational and personal factors affecting rural volunteering in Australia. This four-year project will conduct a national analysis of volunteering demand and supply, and generate new interdisciplinary knowledge of the structural, demographic, organisational and personal factors affecting the sustainability of rural volunteering. Expected outcomes of this project include a world-first index of volunteering vulnerabilities and a spatial map of volunteering unevenness, leading to the development of an evidence-based National Rural Volunteering Roadmap, which will guide the project’s volunteering peak body partners, governments and rural communities to plan for and support rural volunteering over the longer-term.
Sustainable Development Goals
Griffith University is aligned with the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals ( SDGs ) and is committed to advancing knowledge, innovation, and practices that promote holistic health and well-being while fostering partnerships for the goals.
Project team
Professor Leonie Lockstone-Binney
Event and tourism volunteering, volunteering legacies, event studies, event management education and commemorative events.
Professor Amanda Davies
Demography, population geography and rural and regional development.
Professor Kirsten Holmes
Volunteering, particularly in events, leisure, sport and tourism contexts.
Professor Melanie Oppenheimer
The role of voluntary organisations and voluntary action in times of war and peace, the history of volunteering, gender and humanitarianism.
Dr Olivier Oren
Customer behaviours in hospitality settings, Digital influences on traditional social interactions, Workforce dynamics in hospitality settings, Experience design for food and beverage operations.
Objectives
This project aims to investigate the challenges affecting rural volunteering in Australia. Conducting a national analysis of volunteering demand and supply, this project expects to generate new interdisciplinary knowledge of the structural, demographic, organisational and personal factors affecting the sustainability of rural volunteering.
Outcomes
These resources will guide volunteering peak bodies, governments, and rural communities in strengthening volunteer engagement across the country.
- A spatial map of volunteering unevenness across Australia
- An evidence-based National Rural Volunteering Roadmap (2025–2035)
Rural Volunteering Vulnerability Explorer
The Rural Volunteering Vulnerability Explorer is a key output of the National Rural Volunteering Roadmap (2025–2035) project. Officially launched in November 2025, the Explorer provides Australia’s first national visualisation of volunteering vulnerability in rural and regional communities, helping identify where volunteer shortages are most likely to occur.
Using ten indicators of supply and demand—such as population change, community needs, and disaster risk—the Explorer maps vulnerability levels across all regions. It classifies areas as marginally, moderately, or most vulnerable, allowing users to search by postcode or town name for tailored insights.
This interactive tool supports evidence-based planning for volunteering peak bodies, VIOs, governments, and rural communities. It highlights areas of concern and provides a foundation for targeted interventions and long-term resilience-building.
Free to use and supported by a detailed methodology report, the Explorer is an essential resource for strengthening the future of rural volunteering.
Other useful tools
The following free tools were developed as part of our previous three-year study funded by the Australian Research Council (ARC) titled, "Creating and sustaining a strong future for volunteering in Australia" (LP: 140100528).
Project outputs
- Oppenheimer, M., Davies, A., Holmes, K., Lockstone-Binney, L., Maher, A., & Oren, O. (2026). What Counts as Volunteering? Evolving Definitions and Measures of Volunteering in Australia (1970s–2025). Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly.
- Holmes, K., Lockstone-Binney, L., Davies, A., O’Halloran, M., & Janowski, I. (2026). Managing burnout among rural volunteers in Australia. Voluntas: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations. 37(1):95-103.
- Oppenheimer, M., Davies, A., Lockstone-Binney, L., Holmes, K., Maher, A. and Oren, O. 2025. Historical Perspectives on Rural Volunteering in Australia: 1970-2022. ISTR Working Paper Features, No. 5
- Alony, I., Haski-Leventhal, D., Lockstone-Binney, L., Holmes, K., & Meijs, L. C. P. M. (2020). Online volunteering at DigiVol: an innovative crowd-sourcing approach for heritage tourism artefacts preservation. Journal of Heritage Tourism, 15, 14-26.
- Davies, A., Holmes, K., & Lockstone-Binney, L. (2021, 26 April). Loss of two-thirds of volunteers delivers another COVID blow to communities. The Conversation.
- Davies, A., Lockstone-Binney, L., & Holmes, K. (2021). Recognising the value of volunteers in performing and supporting leadership in rural communities. Journal of Rural Studies, 86, 136-144.
- Davies, A., Holmes, K., Lockstone-Binney, L. (2018, 15 May). Why rural Australia is facing a volunteer crisis. The Conversation.
- Davies, A., Lockstone-Binney, L., Holmes, K. (2018). Who are the future volunteers in rural places? Understanding the demographic and background characteristics of non-retired rural volunteers, why they volunteer and their future migration intentions. Journal of Rural Studies, 60, 167-175.
- Haski-Leventhal, D., Oppenheimer, M., Holmes, K., Lockstone-Binney, L., Alony, I., Ong, F. (2018). Conceptualisation of volunteering among non-volunteers: Expanding definitions and dimensions using net-cost. Non-Profit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 48(2), 30S–51S.
- Haski-Leventhal, D., Meijs, L., Lockstone-Binney, L., Holmes, K., & Oppenheimer, M. (2018). Measuring volunteerability and the capacity to volunteer among non-volunteers: Implications for social policy. Social Policy Administration, 52(5), 1139-1167.
- Holmes, K., Davies, A., Lockstone-Binney, L. (2019). The social and economic sustainability of WA’s rural volunteer workforce. Final report prepared for Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre, Curtin University.
- Lockstone-Binney, L., Holmes, K., Meijs, L., Oppenheimer, M., Haski-Leventhal, D., Taplin, R. (2021). Growing the volunteer pool: Identifying non-volunteers most likely to volunteer. Voluntas, 33, 777-794.
- Oppenheimer, M., Davies, A., Lockstone-Binney, L., Holmes, K., Maher, A. and Oren, O. 2025. Historical Perspectives on Rural Volunteering in Australia: 1970-2022. ISTR Working Paper Features, No. 5
- Alony, I., Haski-Leventhal, D., Lockstone-Binney, L., Holmes, K., & Meijs, L. C. P. M. (2020). Online volunteering at DigiVol: an innovative crowd-sourcing approach for heritage tourism artefacts preservation. Journal of Heritage Tourism, 15, 14-26.
- Davies, A., Holmes, K., & Lockstone-Binney, L. (2021, 26 April). Loss of two-thirds of volunteers delivers another COVID blow to communities. The Conversation.
- Davies, A., Lockstone-Binney, L., & Holmes, K. (2021). Recognising the value of volunteers in performing and supporting leadership in rural communities. Journal of Rural Studies, 86, 136-144.
- Davies, A., Holmes, K., Lockstone-Binney, L. (2018, 15 May). Why rural Australia is facing a volunteer crisis. The Conversation.
- Davies, A., Lockstone-Binney, L., Holmes, K. (2018). Who are the future volunteers in rural places? Understanding the demographic and background characteristics of non-retired rural volunteers, why they volunteer and their future migration intentions. Journal of Rural Studies, 60, 167-175.
- Haski-Leventhal, D., Oppenheimer, M., Holmes, K., Lockstone-Binney, L., Alony, I., Ong, F. (2018). Conceptualisation of volunteering among non-volunteers: Expanding definitions and dimensions using net-cost. Non-Profit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 48(2), 30S–51S.
- Haski-Leventhal, D., Meijs, L., Lockstone-Binney, L., Holmes, K., & Oppenheimer, M. (2018). Measuring volunteerability and the capacity to volunteer among non-volunteers: Implications for social policy. Social Policy Administration, 52(5), 1139-1167.
- Holmes, K., Davies, A., Lockstone-Binney, L. (2019). The social and economic sustainability of WA’s rural volunteer workforce. Final report prepared for Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre, Curtin University
- Lockstone-Binney, L., Holmes, K., Meijs, L., Oppenheimer, M., Haski-Leventhal, D., Taplin, R. (2021). Growing the volunteer pool: Identifying non-volunteers most likely to volunteer. Voluntas, 33, 777-794.
- Mapping volunteering vulnerability across rural Australia, presented at the University of Southern Denmark, August 2026.
- Mapping volunteering vulnerability across rural Australia, presented at the 17th ISTR Conference, Lisbon, July 2026.
- Building a National Rural Volunteering Roadmap: Rural Volunteering Vulnerability Explorer, presented at the 2026 National Volunteering Conference, Adelaide, June 2026.
- Developing a National Rural Volunteering Roadmap, Historical analysis 1970-2022, presented at the 2023 National Volunteering Conference, Canberra.
- Developing indicators of rural volunteering supply and demand, presented at the 2024 International Society for Third-Sector Research (ISTR), Antwerp.
- Building a Rural Volunteering Roadmap: Rural Volunteering Vulnerability Explorer Soft Launch, presented at the 2025 SA State Volunteering Conference, Adelaide.
- ISTR Asia Webinar, presented in August 2025.
- National Volunteering Research Network Meeting, presented in August 2025.
- Palliative care volunteering seminar, Palliative Care South Australia, presented in October 2025, Adelaide.
- SEGRA Not-For-Profit Success in the Bush Forum, presented in October 2025.
- South Australian Volunteer Managers Network Meeting, presented in November 2025.
More information
For more information about the project, contact Professor Leonie Lockstone-Binney